Wire spool holder for stitching machines



March 7, 1939. I I E J RODDA 2,149,631

' WIRE SPOOL HOLDER FOR STITCHING MACHINES Filed Jan. 21, 195'? INVENTOR ATTORNEYS one but the loose parts were liable to be misstitching machine. For the purpose of increas- 6:15

wire loaded spools in the machine were also arm and provides a bearing surface of consider- E0 Patented Mar. 7, 193 9 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' WIRE SPOOL HOLDER FOR STITOHING MACHINES Edward J. Rodda, Niagara Falls, N. Y., assignor to Niagara Falls Wire Stitchers, Inc., Niagara Falls, N. Y., a corporationof New York Application January 21, 1937, Serial No. 121,403

4 Claims. (Chara-134) This invention relates to a spool or bobbin 'ters of reference indicate like'parts in the sevholder which is more particularly designed for eral figures of the drawing. supporting a wire loaded spool on the frame The numeral l0 represents the upper front of wire stitching machines so that the wire can part of the main frame or head of a Wire stitchs be fed from the spool to the mechanism which ing machine upon which the holder for support- 3 cuts the wire into sections and converts the ing the wire filled spool is usually mounted.

same into the form of staples and drives the The frame of the spool holder includes a same through the material which is to be faslower base I l which is secured to the top of the tened or bound together. m'ain frame of the wire stitcher by means of 10 The holders for wire loaded spools heretofore screws I2 or other suitable means. This base .10

in common use have been unsatisfactory inasis provided with an upwardly projecting rear much as the same included loose parts which arm l3, the upper part of which bears against not only required considerable time to release the rear side of the spool or bobbin M which is an empty spool and replace the same by a filled loaded with the wire I5 to be used in the wire placed or become lost while detached from the ing the area of contact between this arm and machine and thus incur delays in the operation the spool the upper end of the same is enof the machine. larged in the form of a disk l6 which projects The means heretofore employed for holding slightly forward from the upper part of this objectionable inasmuch as the replenishing of able extent for enga W the rear S de the wire supply required readjustment of the of the spool and thus increases the friction of tension on the wirespool whenever a new one engagement between this arm o t e SD o wa ub tituted f r an em t thereby tretarding the rotation of the spool in the direcing t t of t operatgr d reducing t tion in which it is turned when the wire is fed (25 capacity of the machine as well as rendering it therefrom to the Stitching m hanism. possible to vary the tension on the wire spool The Wire Sp l is pivotally mounted on th instead of maintaining it uniform during the rear arm of the holder by means of a horizontal operation of the machine while using a succesreal pivot Pin which is arranged at its rear sion Of Wire spools. end in an opening in the upper end of the rearzi30 h Object of this invention is provide a arm and secured therein by a clamping screw spool holder which not only avoids the use of any The front part of this pivot pin enters loose or detachable parts capable of being readthe rear of the axial Opening in the ily removed from the machine in the operation Spool and 15 preferably tapered forwardly as 5 of replenishing the supply of spooled Wire but shown at 20 so as to facilitate the application of which can also be operated very rapidly and thls 513001011 this conveniently for removing an empty spool d The numeral 2| represents an upright front replacing the Same by a filled Spool and which arm which is arranged in front of the spool and will also maintain a uniform tension on the spool Whlch normally bears at its upper end against 40 instead of requiring readjustment of the front side of the spool. This front arm is zio sion every time that a new wire spool is mounted so moltnted on the frame the holder that the in the machine, as has been the case heretofore. i capable movmg honzontauy in a In the accompanying drawing: d rection parallel with the axls of the rear pivot Fig 1 is a side elevation of a Spool or bobbin pm I! and also rotatable laterally'relative to holder embodying a satisfactory form of my saldpwot pm fqr the pu-rpose engaglzng web-45 upper end of this arm w1th or disengaging the mventlon and showmg the Same holdmg Wlre same from the front side of the spool during filled or loaded spool which latter is in section. the operation of removing an empty spool and Fig. 1S a horlzontal Section taken On line replacing the ame a One For the pur...

5o V pose of increasing the frictional contact between- 3 15 a front elevatlon 0f the spool holder this front arm and the front side of the spool and a 81 mounted thereon the upper end of this arm is enlarged in the form Fig. 4 is a vertical cross section taken on the of a disk 22 which provides an increased b correspondingly numbered line in Fig. 1. ing surface on its rear side for engaging the In the following description similar characfront side of the spool and producing a greater-. 55

frictional contact between these members and thus cooperates with the frictional engagement of the rear arm with the rear side of the spool for providing the necessary tension which resists unwinding rotation of the spool as the wire is fed therefrom to the stitching mechanism of the machine.

On its upper end the front arm is provided with a horizontal front pivot pin 23 which is normally axially in line with the rear pivot pin H and has its rear end entering the front part of the bore l9 of the spool while its front end is arranged in an opening in the front arm and is secured therein by a clamping screw 24.

Although various means may be employed for so mounting the front arm on the holder frame that it is capable of horizontal longitudinal movement as well as turning laterally relative to the stationary rear pivot pin l1 and the spool mounted thereon, the specific means which are shown in the drawing for this purpose are constructed as follows: I

The numeral 25 represents a guide sleeve which projects horizontally forward from the front side of the base portion H of the holder frame. Slidable lengthwise in this sleeve and the adjacent part of the holder base I and also rotatable therein is a horizontal slide rod 28 of cylindrical form which has its front end arranged in an opening in the lower end of the front arm 2| and secured thereto by a cross pin 29. Upon sliding the rod 28 forwardly together with this front arm the latter is moved out of engagement from the front side of the spool and upon now moving the upper part of this arm laterally so as to clear the spool then the latter may be readily removed from the stationary rear pivot pin I! and replaced by another spool. After a new spool has been placed on the rear pivot pin the front arm is again turned so as to swing its upper part across the front side of the spool and then this arm is moved rearwardly for engaging its front pivot pin 23 with the bore of the spool and also engaging its friction disk 22 with the front side of the spool.

Spring means are provided which yieldingly resist the forward movement of the sliding rod 28 and the front arm and operate to press the front and rear bearing disks 22, I6 against the front and rear sides of the spool in order to provide the desired frictional resistance against the unwinding action of the wire from the spool. Various means may be employed for accomplishing this purpose but those shown in the drawing are simple in construction and have been found satisfactory in practice and for these reasons are preferred. These spring tension means include a helical spring 38 surrounding the rear part of the slide rod 28 and bearing at its front end against the bottom of a recess 3! on the rear side of the holder base H while the rear end of this spring bears against a collar 32 arranged on the rear part of this rod. For the purpose of enabling the tension of this spring to be adjusted in order to vary the frictional engagement of the bearing disks I6, 22 with the rear and front sides of the spool to suit the requirements of a particular size of spool or to suit other requirements of the stitching mechanism, the collar 32 is capable of longitudinal adjustment on the slide rod 28. This adjustment is preferably effected by providing the bore of this collar with an internal screw thread which works on an external thread 36 formed on this rod. After the adjusting collar 32 has been moved lengthwise on the rod to the desired position by turning the collar either forwardly or backwardly the same is preferably held against displacement by means of a clamping screw 33 working in the collar and engaging with the side of the rod 28, as shown in Fig. 1.

Means are provided for retaining the front arm in its normal upright position when the upper end of the same is in engagement with the front side of the spool and the front pivot pin is in engagement with the front part of the bore of this spool but still permit this arm to be turned when the same and its pivot pin have been withdrawn from the spool. The preferred means for this purpose comprise a longitudinal slot 26 formed in the upper part of the guide sleeve 25 and extending to the front end thereof, and a locking pin 34 projecting upwardly from the guide rod and adapted to either engage with the slot 26 or to be moved across the front end of the guide sleeve. When the spool holder is in operation and the friction disks of both supporting arms are in engagement with the opposite sides of the spool then the looking pin 34 is in engagement with the longitudinal slot 26, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, whereby this rod and the front arm are free to be drawn rearwardly by means of the spring 30 for the purpose of frictionally engaging opposite sides of the friction disks !6, 22 with the spool but the presence of the locking pin 34 in this slot 25 prevents the front arm 2| from turning and thus reliably maintains the two pivot pins 23, I! in axial alignment so that the spool is properly centered and will turn properly for delivering the wire effectively to the stitching mechanism which is being served with wire.

Upon moving the rod 28 forwardly and withdrawing the front supporting arm from the spool a sufficient extent to disengage the locking pin 34 from the slot 26 and then turning this rod and the parts carried thereby so that the locking pin passes across the front end of the guide sleeve 25 on one or the other side of the slot 26, then this pin, upon releasing the forward pull on this rod and its arm, will cause the locking pin 34 to engage with the respective part of the front end of the guide sleeve 25 and thereby holding the front supporting arm 2| in its forwardly projecting position in order to permit of freely removing a spool from the rear pivot pin l1 and substituting another spool therefor. After such replacement of the spool has been effected it is only necessary to turn the front supporting arm into a position in which its front pivot pin 23 is in line with the rear pivot pin I1 and when this occurs the front arm will be automatically drawn backwardly by the spring 30 so as to engage the front frictiondisk 22 with the front side of the spool and also engage the front pivot pin 23 with the front part of the bore of the spool inasmuch as this is permitted at this time due to the locking pin 34 coming in line with the locking slot 26 and moving lengthwise therein.

Inasmuch as it is only necessary to turn the' front supporting arm 2| laterally a quarter turn in one direction or the other for the purpose of clearing the space in front of the spool, stop means are provided to limit this rotation of the front arm and thus expedite restoring the parts to their operative position. These stop means preferably consist of two upwardly facing stops or shoulders 21 arranged on diametrically opposite sides of the front end of the guide sleeve 25, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4. Upon turning the front supporting arm and rod 28 after the locking pin 34 has been moved forwardly a suflicient extent to clear the slot 26, this locking pin will engage either one or the other of the stops 2'! and thereby definitely limit the rotation of the front supporting arm 2| to one quarter of a turn. This is sufficient to carry the front friction disk 22 and the front pivot pin 23 out of the path of the spool and thus avoid any obstruction which would interfere with the quick substitution of one spool for another on the holder.

Owing. to the fact that none of the parts of this holder are loose and normally not capable of being wholly removed from the apparatus there is no liability of losing or misplacing such parts and as the tension of the spring 30 after having been once set for a particular size of spool or to meet other conditions no further disturbance of the same can occur, it necessarily follows that the tension on successive spools is always uniform and repeated adjustment for this purpose is not required thereby insuring uniform quality in the work of the stitching mechanism.

For the purpose of facilitating the forward and lateral movement of the front arm 2! of the holder the central part of the arm is preferably offset forwardly to some extent between the lower hub of this arm and the friction disk 22 at the upper end thereof, as shown in Fig. 1, whereby I the central part of this arm serves as a handle which can be conveniently grasped by the hand of the operator for manipulating the parts during the operation of releasing one spool preparatory to replacing the same by another.

As a whole this spool holder is very simple in construction and composed of parts which are sturdy and not liable to get out of order even under severe use and as none of the parts are loose or normally incapable of being detached from the machine, there is virtually no liability of any of the parts becoming misplaced which otherwise would interfere with the most efficient operation of the machine.

I claim as my invention:

1. A spool holder comprising a frame having an upright rear arm adapted to hear at its upper end against the rear side of a spool, a pivot pin arranged on the upper end of said rear arm and adapted to enter the rear end of a spool, a front arm adapted to bear with its upper end against the front side of said spool, a slide rod connected with the lower end of said front arm and slidable on the frame parallel with said pivot pin and also rotatable laterally thereon for moving said front arm into and out of engagement with the front side of said spool, and spring means for drawing said rod backwardly and causing the upper ends of said arms to bear frictionally against the front and rear ends of said spool, said spring means being arranged in the rear of the frame and including a collar secured to the reari end of said rod, and a spring surrounding said rod and bearing at its front end against the rear side of said frame and at its rear end against said collar.

2. A spool holder comprising a frame having an upright rear arm adapted to hear at its upper end against the rear side of a spool, a pivot pin arranged on the upper end of said rear arm and adapted to enter the rear end of a spool, a front arm adapted to bear with its upper end against the front side of said spool, a slide rod connected with the lower end of said front arm and slidable on the frame parallel with said pivot pin and also rotatable laterally thereon for moving said front arm into and out of engagement with the front side of said spool, and spring means for drawing said rod backwardly and causing the upper ends of said arms to bear frictionally against the front and rear ends of said spool, said spring means being arranged in the rear of the frame including a spring surrounding the rod with its front end engaging the bottom of a recess in the rear side of the frame, a collar screwed on the rear part of said rod and engaging with the rear end of said spring, and a clamping screw arranged on said collar and bearing against said rod.

3. A spool holder comprising a frame having a rear arm adapted to bear against the rear side of a spool, a front arm adapted to bear against the front side of a spool, a slide rod connected with said front arm and slidable on said frame and also rotatable laterally relatively thereto for moving the front arm into and out of engagement with said spool, and means for normally holding said front arm with its upper end in line with the front side of said spool but permitting lateral movement of said front arm relative to the spool including a guide sleeve arranged on the frame and receiving said rod and provided with a longitudinal slot, and a locking pin arranged on said rod and movable lengthwise in said slot and rotatable laterally across the end of said sleeve.

4. A spool holder comprising a frame having a rear arm adapted to bear against the rear side of a spool, a front arm adapted to bear against the front side of a spool, a slide rod connected with said front arm and slidable on said frame and also rotatable laterally relatively thereto for moving the front arm into and out of engagement with said spool, and means for holding said front arm with its upper end in line with the front side of said spool but permitting lateral movement of said front arm relative to the spool including a guide sleeve arranged on the frame and receiving said rod and provided with a longitudinal slot, and a locking pin arranged on said rod and movable lengthwise in said slot and rotatable laterally across the end of said sleeve, said sleeve being provided on its diametrically opposite sides of its front end with stops adapted to be engaged by said locking pin for limiting the rotary movement of the same and the rod and front arm connected therewith.

EDWARD J. RODDA. 

